News

North East Scientists set sights on new treatments from stem cells

(7 February 2007)

Pioneering stem cell research in the North East entered a new phase today, as scientists from Newcastle and Durham Universities and clinicians from the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust unveiled a £4m suite of new laboratories where they can start working towards the development of new treatments for patients.

The laboratories, funded by regional development agency One NorthEast, will provide the North East Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) with the most advanced facilities in the UK for growing cultures of stem cells in clinically clean conditions, which is essential if they are to be used for therapies. The UK leads the world in stem cell research and NESCI is the only centre in the country where top scientists are working across all areas of research — involving embryonic, adult and umbilical cord blood stem cells. Because stem cell research is so new, no-one knows which of these three types of cell will yield the best results. • Embryonic stem cells are found in embryos and can self-renew and can be made to turn into most cell types found in the body. If scientists could control and culture them in laboratory conditions, they could in theory be used to repair tissues damaged by diseases and disorders such as diabetes, heart problems, liver disease and strokes. • Adult stem cells are thought to exist in most organs in the body but can only grow into certain types of cell already present in the organ where the stem cells are found. However, NESCI scientists are trying to coax them into growing into other types of cell and have had some success — for example, dermal (skin) stem cells can now be changed into blood and neuronal (brain and nerve) cells. • Umbilical cord blood stem cells are found in the umbilical cords of babies. The cord is cut after birth and scientists can then isolate and culture the stem cells,. Clinical grade quality has been achieved. So far, researchers at Newcastle and other leading centres have produced about 20 types of tissue via this method. Over the past few years, NESCI scientists have made a number of high profile breakthroughs. They were the first in the world to clone a human embryo, which is the first step towards producing clinical grade embryonic stem cells that are genetically identical and can be replaced in an individual without immunological rejection. Scientists have also shown that sperm grown from stem cells can be used to produce offspring in mice - an area of research which has potential applications to the treatment of male infertility in humans. The scientists are now ready to enter a new phase of their work, aimed at applying their knowledge to the development of clinical therapies. This work will take place in the new laboratories, at the Centre for Life in Newcastle, once they are fully equipped and 'made clean' with air filtering equipment to minimise the risk of cell cultures being contaminated by germs or dust. The laboratories, complying with ‘Good Manufacturing Practice' (GMP) guidelines that govern the pharmaceutical and bio-processing industries, are being shown to the public a few weeks ahead of becoming operational because visitors will not then be allowed in without anti-contamination precautions. The scientists work closely with the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which supplies the tissue from which stem cells can be extracted, subject to strictly enforced procedures to obtain donor consent. For example, human eggs used in the creation of embryonic stem cells are provided by Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life. These eggs are left over from IVF treatment and would otherwise be discarded. Chair of NESCI, Professor Michael Whitaker, said: 'Stem cell research could yield huge benefits to medicine in the future and it is important that the North East remains as one of the world leaders in this field. 'This new suite of laboratories reinforces our position at the forefront of research and in years to come will produce real benefits to people as a return on this investment.' While successful stem cell therapies already exist - for example, bone marrow transplants for cancer sufferers and stem cell transplantation for children with severe immune problems - scientists are reluctant to estimate when new therapies might be available until more is known about how stem cells work. One NorthEast Chairman Margaret Fay said: 'The cures for degenerative disease like cancer, Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis could be discovered in Newcastle thanks to the creation of these groundbreaking new labs. 'Stem cell research is the future of medicine. These labs will help train a new generation of basic science and health professionals and nurture the new healthcare companies in the region.' * The North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) draws together Durham and Newcastle Universities, the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and other partners in a unique interdisciplinary collaboration to convert stem cell research and technologies into cost-effective, ethically-robust 21st century health solutions to ameliorate degenerative diseases, the effects of ageing and serious injury. The Institute has received substantial funding and other support from the Regional Development Agency, One NorthEast, and is partly based at the International Centre for Life in Newcastle. For more information on stem cell research at Durham University please visit http://www.dur.ac.uk/stem.cells/